Taking Chances
by suitsfan23
Summary: Taking Chances is a story about Two Broke Girls and a man in a Suit. Aside from being broke, Caroline and Max had nothing in common. Max was your typical diner girl working more than one job at a time just to make ends meet while Caroline was an uptown girl who had lost everything because of a ponzi scheme. Can the great Harvey Specter save these two damsels in distress?
1. Chapter 1

Harvey Specter tiptoed his way across the dimly lit streets trying to avoid the drunkards and the homeless men who had passed out on the side of the road. He was in a shady neighbourhood filled with vicious gangs and drug dealers, so he was naturally uneasy. Occasionally passing glances to his left and right, he feared they would skin him alive. His three-piece suit after all was probably more expensive than the second hand cars people drove in the side of town.

Not to say that Harvey didn't love danger, because he lived for risks. He liked to live big and hated when things were boring. But he was in a part of town he didn't particularly care for, doing pro-bono of all the things and against Jessica Pearson's orders for that matter. He was going rogue on this one. He entered the diner and motioned towards the man behind the counter.

"Is Caroline Channing here?" He asked. Surveying the quaint diner which in its prime could have been the place to be, but was now shabby and rundown.

"Not another lawyer? That girl has been through enough already. She has nothing to offer you empty suit. Just leave her alone. For God's sake…" The old man said agitatedly.

"Personally, I'd be offended about that empty suits comment, but your taste in music is exquisite. Is that Charles Brandley &Menahan Street Band? I'm Harvey, an old friend of Caroline's" Harvey replied.

"Brother from another mother! The name is Earl. Now, I know you didn't come here just to talk music..."

"Harvey! Harvey Specter!" Caroline shrieked with excitement interrupting Earl as she hugged the man.

"Caroline, how have you been?" Harvey asked genuinely interested to know if she was doing okay. The sincerity in his voice could not be mistaken for false sympathy. Caroline was an expert on phony sentiments being at the receiving end countless of times after the news about her father's Ponzi scheme broke.

"I was miserable, Harvey." She sighed hugging her old friend once more. "Everyone in New York shunned me. I lost my high profile career, relationship and fortune. I had no one to turn to and nowhere to go. "

"But you're doing better now, 'was' being the operative word." Harvey gazed directly into her big blue eyes trying to read her. Caroline motioned to one of the empty booths.

"Why are you here Harvey?" She asked. She wasn't expecting for him to make an appearance seeing as it had been more than a year since the scandal broke and she assumed that he didn't care because he was Harvey Specter, the man whose motto was not about caring, but about winning.

Harvey would never admit to anyone that he cared, but he had a heart and he was not as callous as people made him out to be. Emotions just didn't fit into his life right now and the direction he was propelling to.

"I wanted to see you so many times, but I couldn't knowing how negatively our ties would impact the firm, " he explained. "Jessica adviced me to wait until everything blew over, but I just couldn't. I needed to see you." Harvey continued.

"My dad is in prison, Harvey and the worst part is that he's innocent. They placed an innocent man in jail." She cried.

"Do you have any proof that he's innocent?" He asked.

"I know he is Harvey, I saw it in his eyes the last time I visited him at the state penitentiary, " she said looking directly at him trying to appeal to him as a human being.

At this point he scooted next to her and placed his arm around her trying to console her. The words of the daughter of a man perceived to be a criminal would never hold up in court without evidence, so that was all he could do at the moment.


	2. Chapter 2

The two friends from Harvard sat in the same position for what felt like hours. Harvey tried his best to dance around the topic they had previously been talking about, since he wasn't entirely sure how he could help her without ruining the firm's reputation by association.

Caroline had known Harvey for more than a decade and had seen him in his best and in his worst. They had met at a frat party in Harvard where Harvey tried to hit on her. Classic Harvey: He would hit on any beautiful woman and chances are they would sleep with him at the first chance to.

Caroline on the other hand, declined his advances. She prides herself on being hard to get. Caroline Channing was no booty call. She loved being in relationships and an upper crust woman like her liked to be wined and dined. Something Harvey was never really fond of. Despite that awkward situation, Harvey and Caroline stayed friends. They were opposites. While Caroline liked vanilla, Harvey liked New York Super Fudge Chunk Ice Cream.

By the time Caroline graduated from Business School and Harvey finished law, they were each other's consultants. Their differences had made them stronger individually.


	3. Chapter 3

"Caroline, a little help here?" a busty short brunette came rushing through the back door trying to balance three dishes in one hand and two in the other. "With Oleg humping pinning over Sophie and humping anything hump-able and you saying chip chip cheerio to every patron that comes in and out, I swear, I have to do all the work around here."

At this point, Harvey couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. In front of him was a dishevelled waitress who looked like she was about to drop dead after a sixteen hour work shift. Despite looking exhausted she was still a feisty little firecracker.

"You find this funny pretty boy? Let's see you and your manicured nails work a double shift serving hippies and drunks." She smirked. He was right, this was her second straight shift.

"Ummm," the great Harvey Specter was at a loss for words.

No one at Pearson Hardman had the balls to talk to him like that. Harvey stood up. "First of all, I'm honoured that you think I'm pretty. But for your information Ms.-I-am-all-alone-and-I-hate-the world, I have done my time, working my way in the mail room. So yeah, I get it! And there's no reason to be snippy at me." He had no idea why he felt the need to defend himself in front of this complete stranger.

Max took a moment to admire Harvey's physical stature. He was pristinely clad in an expensive three piece suit tailored to perfection. His 6 foot frame towered over her. Inhaling his musky cologne brought chills through her spine. A guy like that could probably get any girl he wants and would never give her the time of day.

She was a waitress. She was plain boring Max. This was probably why Johnny left her, she thought. Everyone was getting ahead in life, but not her. She was diner girl as Johnny had so aptly described forever.

"Max, this is Harvey Specter. He's a lawyer from Pearson Hardman, one of the top firms in the city and a friend of mine from Harvard. And Harvey this is Max, my high strung friend who I'm indebted to for taking me in," Caroline said breaking her train of thought.

"Dude! You're a lawyer? I practically live, breathe and eat Law and Order. I've seen every episode there is to watch thanks to my good buddy over here" Max nudged Caroline as a sign of appreciation for the box set she had given her after that failed attempt to get her father acquitted.

Harvey chuckled wondering if his associate, Mike Ross had learned how to become a lawyer the same way. He also noted that the feisty brunette in front of him although lacking in class and formal education could probably manage herself and hold her own. He could maybe even use her help if he decided to help Caroline prove her father was innocent.

"Harvey, I really appreciate you coming here especially since I know how busy you are, but I have to go help out in the back. If we could continue this some other time, that would be great." Harvey gave her a squeeze before saying, "How about on Saturday at the old watering hole for lunch?"

"Yeah, I could do Saturday." Caroline said nonchalantly.

"Max, you're welcome to tag along." Harvey said flashing his killer smile.

"As long as you're buying pretty boy." She winked at him.

Harvey said his goodbyes and exited the diner. He wasn't sure if they could build a case with the lack of evidence and Jessica would probably kill him if she knew what Harvey was up to, but no one tells Harvey Specter what to do. Working with the Channings' for almost a decade, Caroline in particular, Harvey had a hunch that the older Channing was guilt free and he was just the fall guy. Truth be told, he had very little interaction with Martin Channing but the fact that he had raised a daughter like Caroline said a lot about the man's character.

This was madness. Half the town had taken a hit because of the Martin Channing ordeal and just the thought of entertaining this case would be perceived as suicide. But he was the almighty Harvey Specter. A gamble like this could destroy him in the short run, but up his billable tenfold in the long run. If he were to take on this case, He would just have to do it as discreetly as possible and at the speed of light.


	4. Chapter 4

Harvey sat by the bar waiting for Max and Caroline. He had a scotch on the rocks in one hand and his phone in the other. It was way too early to drink, but without alcohol in his system he was afraid that he couldn't go through with their conversation. Even the great Harvey Specter had his limits and this along with burying evidence and purging himself in court was it.

Harvey's thoughts momentarily drifted to Caroline's spirited friend. She was something alright. Caroline had told him that Max had taken her in without judgement when the scandal broke. She taught Caroline how to be domesticated and helped her cope with everything that had to do with her father's ordeal. A smile crept on his face. Caroline was a pristine woman but never once had he seen her pick up after herself. Just the thought of her cleaning someone else's apartment made him laugh. She probably did more harm than help and her friend would come to the rescue, he thought.

Times have certainly changed for Harvey. He was just a kid in the mail room when Jessica took a shot at him and offered to send him to Harvard. His father was a saxophone player at a local bar so they didn't have a lot of money and his mother was a groupie for the lack of a better word. So when the opportunity presented itself, he jumped at the chance and never looked back.

In his early Harvard days, Harvey felt like an odd man on campus although he would never show it. His peers were polished from head to toe, draped in the finest threads the city could offer while he was clad in clothes from Salvation Army. Jessica had offered to sponsor him, but she had done so much for him already so he declined.

During his sophomore year, Harvey proved that he was the best of his class at Harvard beating everyone in their mock trials. Although underprivileged, his work in the mail room had deemed valuable because he had witnessed how some of the best senior partners in Pearson Hardman dealt with situations and adapted their techniques to his own personal style. Thus the cocky son of a bitch was born.

His thoughts worked its way into the present. In many ways, He was just like Max. Before he became a partner at Pearson Hardman he worked 20 hours a day and she worked 3-4 jobs at the time: babysitting cleaning houses, baking cupcakes and working in the diner. He was Superman and she was Wonder Woman.


	5. Chapter 5

Max took a swing at Harvey's drink. "Mmm, Scotch. A man after my own heart."

"Hi! I'm sorry for Max's behavior. She had to listen to our boss, Han talk about the economics of tampons for 20 minutes." Caroline said giving Harvey an apologetic hug.

"Yeah, the little bitch had his panties up in a bunch. But I dominated and had the last say." Max chimed in cheerily with Harvey's drink in hand. Harvey chuckled. Dominated was a word he would often use and it had patented Harvey Specter written all over it.

He motioned towards the dining area where they sat and ordered.

Harvey and Caroline did all the ordering, since they had practically memorized every item in the menu. Caroline was happy that Harvey suggested the place. It was a hole in the wall eatery with not too many patrons. It had a rustic and earthy vibe which made it feel homely far from the overly commercialized high priced food joints in Manhattan.

Max on the other hand, allowed her eyes to set on something else or rather someone else. She was captivated by the man in front of her. He was in dark washed denims and a long sleeved waffle shirt and he was sexy as hell. He could make anything including a potato sack look sexy, she concluded.

"It goes without saying that we're in a bit of a bind." Harvey started.

Placing himself as a factor in the occasion was another classic Harvey keeper. Harvey would take responsibility as he would take credit for a win and Caroline admired that in him.

"If we're really doing this, I'll need you to fill me in on everything you know. I need information on your father's books, properties, dealings, bank accounts, travel itinerary," he continued.

"Dude! Would you also like her to fill you in on his daily bowel movements as well?" Max kidded.

"Max!" Caroline shrieked. Always the prude, Max and Harvey though.

They continued their conversation with Max occasionally throwing in a couple of jokes here and there to lighten the mood. Something she thought Caroline needed so she wouldn't break down in front of Harvey. While Caroline was soft and emotional having her world crash down upon her, Max was immune to the world's problems and she was Caroline's rock. The world had made her cold and weary, thus in a way grounded.

The trio ate up a storm. Max and Caroline having eaten cheap supermarket ramen almost every day had forgotten what real food tasted like. As for Harvey, he was just being Harvey, a man with a voracious appetite who liked to live large.

By the end of the meal, Caroline excused herself to the ladies room and had left Max alone with Harvey. He looked at her grinning like a Chestershire cat. She had not forsaken his glass and she was now on her third round of scotch. Instead of babbling like an idiot as most intoxicated people would, she could handle her alcohol. The woman could definitely drink, he thought.

"So Maxi Pad, how much do you know about the Channings?" Harvey asked referencing her triumph against the capitalism of feminine hygiene products earlier. If he was pushing through with this case he needed to be thorough investigating every realm of possibility.

She consumed the scotch as if it were oxygen and said, "other than Caroline being my roommate and her being impossible to live with, I actually don't know a lot about their life story. Caroline says he's innocent and oddly enough I believe her."

"Do you trust her?"

"I do," she said whole heartedly after everything they have been through in the past months.

"Caroline has no money now, so why deal with Malibu Barbie?" He asked blatantly trying to push her buttons like any good lawyer would do.

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah! You heard me. There's high probability that Caroline would never recover her money, so what's your end game?" He added.

"Listen up buddy! I may not have your Harvard pedigree, but I do know about gold digging 101 and leeching of to someone allegedly implicated to a Ponzi scheme isn't part of it. I wouldn't take a cent from the Channings if they had just a dollar or a billion dollars." Max said fuming then she did something which surprised Harvey. She started laughing. Now Harvey was curious.

"What's so funny?"

"You pulled a Law and Order SVU on me." She said punching him playfully in the arm.

"What do you mean?" Harvey asked pretending to act clueless.

"You know, when the hot lawyer decides to pulls a fast one and trick the other party to admit their true intentions." She explained.

"Am I that good? Honestly, you thinking that I'm hot piece of ass was all I took from what you said." He professed cockily.

"Don't pout! Well! Actually do pout some more. It looks cute on you…" He added.

"I'm not cute. Cute is what you use to describe a kitten unknowingly plungging to its death as it enters an alligator's mouth." He laughed at her dark humor. Max put on an exaggerated puppy dog expression causing him to laugh even more.

"I'm glad to see that Caroline has a friend like you." Harvey whispered in Max's ear as Caroline entered the room.

"What did I miss?" Her high pitched voice screeched.

Harvey wondered if Max would tell Caroline about the verbal assault he had just done to her minutes ago, but instead she said, "I like this one" pointing at Harvey and continued saying "he's got spunk."

"See! I knew you would like each other. You have the same twisted sarcastic witty humor," Caroline retorted.

Harvey signed for the bill and said, "I'll have my associate take a look at the evidence and see if we have a case. Then we can proceed from there."

"Thank you Harvey! Words cannot express how much this means to me," Caroline replied.

"Don't mention it! You'd do the same for me," he winked.

They said their goodbyes and parted ways.


	6. Chapter 6

Ever since Harvey got an associate, he rarely did the dirty work anymore. He would outsource it to Mike Ross keeping an eye out on the bigger picture. Harvey would never admit it to Mike, but he was great at he did and well on the way to becoming a legendary Pearson Hardman attorney. Even Louis Litt who was difficult to please had been impressed by Mike's body of work and had called him the resident wunderkind on one instance.

Mike ran his hand across his short blond hair. Harvey had buried him in paperwork yet again. He had checked all of Martin Channing's accounts over and over and it just didn't add up. Granted that the sum in his accounts could feed a whole Ugandan tribe for a decade, it still a tiny fraction of the alleged amount. He sighed, the money could be anywhere and it could be with anyone if Martin was innocent.

A guy with Martin Channing's calibre had interactions with hundreds of influential people each day and it would be extremely difficult to trace his dealings. Mike fumbled the list of business partners, bankers and lawyers Martin had dealings with. Names alone were the size of a phonebook which basically meant all of New York's elite. He couldn't possibly track each one of them with the short span of time Harvey had given. He needed to explore another avenue.

"Max Black, this is Harvey Specter's associate Mike Ross. I'm sorry to get you involved in all of this, but I need a fresh perspective and Harvey says you're a spitfire. Call me back when you get this message."


	7. Chapter 7

Max was stoked. She wasn't entirely sure if the grin on her face was because the great Harvey Specter had decided to take her friend's case or he had mentioned her to a colleague.

She jumped at the chance and used her day off to meet with Mike. It was nice talking to someone other than the vapid models she cleaned apartments for and the hippies that entered the diner.

"Dude! This place is sick! Even sicker than my dealer's pad on the corner of 10th and 207th."

" Is Ralph your dealer? You know, tall stalky 30-something man with the Justin Bieber side swept bang and a soul patch" Mike asked immediately knowing that he'd get along with her.

"Yeah that's him. He gave up the Bieber doo months ago, so I assume you're done with coke. What can I do for you Michael?" She said spinning in her chair.

"I went through the Channing accounts including three hidden Swiss accounts and the money in it was only a tenth of the embezzled amount which leads me to the question: where is the money at? Before the scandal broke Channing had 75 key officials handling 10,586 accounts bigger than $5,000,000 and a team of 15 consultants including lawyers, accountants and other minders." Mike said.

"It would take forever to go through that. Harvey doesn't pay you enough" Max surmised.

"I know right? Going through all their books would be down right impossible." Mike said animatedly raising his hand in the air as if he was part of a hold up.

"Now this is where you come in. Harvey mentioned that you and Caroline had sneaked into Channing Mansion once. So I need your help to sneak in again and look for clues." Mike explained.

"Why not ask Caroline?" Max commented.

"She seems finicky and uptight. She would probably panic if she knew what we were up to. Not to mention that she would be easily recognizable given that she is the accused's daughter and you're you."

"Geee Thanks! You may want to ditch the suit" She said pointing at Mike's current get up.


	8. Chapter 8

Max and Mike scoped the perimeter and were pleasantly surprised that there was only one guy guarding the estate and he was a sleeper. 'I guess the country was truly in a recession and unable to pay for good help', Mike thought unable to believe their stroke of luck.

Hours earlier, Max had drawn a blueprint of the property and the zones that triggered the alarms based on memory. They quietly sneaked to the back door.

"Crap!" Max said looking at the number pad, she had forgotten about that.

"Let's just go back." Mike said.

"Wait! If I know Caroline as well as I do, she probably has some sort of clue as to what the passcode is lying around somewhere." Max said, dashing towards the shed. She frantically flipped over some of the items until she saw what she was looking for. A horseshoe pinned on the side of the wall with the name chestnut engraved on it. She flipped it over and handed it to Mike. True enough the digits were there.

"How did you know?" He asked.

"I know Caroline." She replied as they made their way to the backdoor and into Martin Channing's office.

'The office was pristine. She was like her father in so many ways' Max thought.

The office was hardly that of a billionaires. It was simple and other than a couple of pictures of Caroline growing up it was rather bare. They fumbled with the drawers of his desk, but they were locked.

Mike tried to pick the lock with a paper clip. Max laughed quietly and called him a silly little boy. Max decided to test her luck and grabbed the pictures of Caroline on his bookshelf and started to open each frame.

The first three were empty.

'Three down and two to go' she thought.

She went for the fourth: Empty again.

And then the last one: Empty

Max sighed. She thought that, Martin was like his daughter, Caroline. A foolish assumption, but she didn't have any other bets.

Mike glanced at the mess Max had made. He picked up a key embedded at the edge of one of the frames and said, "Good job Black!"

They returned to the desk and started pulling out the drawers. Just like his office his desk drawers were bare. There were some photos and cards probably gifts Caroline had given her father through the years and his laptop. Max and Mike took the laptop and ran. Not wanting to press their luck any further.


	9. Chapter 9

It was 10:30 in the evening when they reached Pearson Hardman. The office was oddly empty and most of the associates had called it a day. Mike let Max in Harvey's office so they could work more privately in his sitting area. Max flipped through one of Harvey's record collections noting that Earl would love his taste in music.

She sat on the couch and started guessing his password. For a billionaire with key investments in financing, real estate, technology and infrastructure, Martin Channing like his daughter oddly believed in hiding things in plain sight. His password was wedged between Caroline's first name and last name. It was 'Wesbox,' the name of Martin Channing's father and Caroline's grandfather.

Max opened his email log while Mike grabbed some snacks from the pantry. It had been a long day and they hadn't eaten since lunch time. He tossed her a Twinkie and sat next to her.

"Damn! Nothing…" Mike said stuffing his mouth full with the Twinkie.

Max told Mike how criminals never sent emails because they were traceable. They would either call from an unknown number or throw a rock at your window with a note attached made out of cut out letters so they were unidentifiable.

"You watch way too many crime shows," he teased.

"Noob," she retorted sticking her tongue out.

Max decided to explore another option. She clicked on the search feature and selected the 'date modified' option. All of a sudden random files flooded the window. There were a lot of unlabelled audio files with date stamps on them.

Mike clicked on the first one, then the second and the rest that had followed. Intrigued, the pair couldn't stop listening. Everything was suddenly crystal clear except for the name of the culprit.


	10. Chapter 10

It was 2am when Mike called Harvey and told him to meet them at the girls' apartment. Harvey had given him hell for waking him up at an ungodly hour, but twenty minutes later he was there.

Max and Mike told them how they had sneaked into Channing Mansion and swiped Martin Channing's laptop. Channing had unknowingly been involved with some greedy rat bastards who were the brains of the Ponzi scheme. By the time he found out, he went to the police. Unfortunately his contact in the precinct was in cahoots with the bastards and they forced him to take the fall threatening to kill his daughter.

Knowing that his daughter's life was in imminent danger, the older Channing decided to take the hit. He had lost his wife when Caroline was a child and could not stand to lose another person he loved ever again. He recorded their interaction using his laptop as a precaution in case the bastards would turn on him once more.

Caroline was trembling she couldn't believe what she had just heard and what her father did just to protect her.

"So the question is, who's Villain X?" Mike asked as Max played a snippet of the recording hopeful that Caroline would recognize the voice.

"Edward Luther," She said in a low and irate tone.

"Edward Luther of Luther Investments, the second largest investment firm in New York?" Mike asked.

She nodded.

"It wasn't Luther. It was his assailant Rufus. I'd recognize that course voice anywhere. I've overheard him arguing with daddy a dozen times, but he would always tell me that they were just discussing business." She explained.

"Great! We have our story," Harvey spoke for the first time.

"But this doesn't implicate Luther. We need to find this Rufus guy and get him to confess" he continued.

"How exactly do we do that? We can't go to the police. Luther probably has his goons working the system," Mike asked Harvey.

"Packel," Harvey beamed.

"Sometimes the good guys got to do bad things to make the bad guys pay guy" Mike asked.

"The one and only," Harvey replied.

"Max why didn't you tell me about what you and Mike were up to? I could have helped. How did you even know where to look?" Caroline said.

"Because I know you and I know you love your horse, Chestnut and your daddy loves you. You Channings should seriously think about not hiding important details in plain sight," it was now Max's turn to beam at Harvey who had once accused her of being a gold digger.

"Thanks Max!" Caroline said hugging the brunette.

"We're not done yet ladies. Let's get your father exonerated and Luther in prison," Harvey said sternly.

"Mike! I need you to get me Packel stat. I'll stay here, so we could try to come up with something," He added.

"Aye Aye! Captain!"


	11. Chapter 11

Harvey punched number one on his speed dial.

"Harvey Specter! I hope you didn't call me to brag about your latest conquests." The voice on the other end of the line said groggily.

"I wouldn't dream about it Jessica, but I did call to brag," he paused for a moment to add effect.

"Remember when you told me to butt out of the Martin Channing scandal? Well I didn't. And as it turns out Martin Channing was innocent. Edward Luther framed him for the crime he committed."

"And how do you know all of this? Wait! I don't want to know. Just make sure you don't drag the whole Pearson Hardman name through the mud. A lot of people lost money over this and are pissed at Channing," She ended the call with that.

"That was pretty badass what you and Mike did over there." Harvey said settling in the couch next to Max. Caroline was busy ogling her father's laptop for clues. After all she knew him best.

"Someone had to do your dirty work for you," Max teased.

"Nice stove!" Harvey said changing the topic as he pointed at the striking purple oven in the corner trying to make small talk.

"Harvey, I think I got something." Caroline mused showing him the laptop.

It was a visual map of all the clients and properties the Channing group managed. Caroline clicked on the unhide button and the list quadrupled in size. They had intel on the net worth of virtually every New Yorker and their respective fund manager/s.

The knowledge these firms held gave Harvey the heebee jeebees, but at that very moment Harvey realized that they had won.

"There's an unofficial list of people who claimed to have lost money with Channing, let's cross reference that with this list," Harvey said.

"They're Luther clients," Caroline confirmed.

"So that's why the Channing Group purchased Reger Investments Inc. from Luther out of the blue." She added.

"Wow! Those bastards transferred all those accounts to Channing using a dummy corporation vindicating them and making Martin Channing look guilty," Max summarized, Harvey and Caroline looked at Max quizzically.

"My brain is bigger than my boobs. So suck it!" Max said chugging her beer. They all laughed at the same time.

Harvey looked at feisty brunette in front of him. She was far from the typical supermodel look he went for, but she was certainly a looker. Her body could stop traffic, she had curves in all the right places and he appreciated that. In all honesty, her eyes were what caught his attention from the very first moment they met. She was strong on the outside, but her eyes couldn't hide the truth. Those big beautiful blue orbs were filled with sadness and dreariness. All he wanted to do was to take the pain away.


	12. Chapter 12

For the next couple of months, Harvey was swamped. He had signed Martin Channing as a client. The big gamble he took had paid off and his billable skyrocketed. Caroline moved back in to her old home and assumed a vice president position at the Channing Group working alongside her father.

As for Max, Martin Channing had given her a million dollars as a thank you for everything she's done for Caroline. Max declined the offer saying it was too much. So instead Channing setup an angel investment fund for Max's homemade cupcakes and ever since Martha Stewart wrote about a hidden gem called Max's homemade cupcakes, business has been booming.

"One beer batter maple bacon homemade cupcake," Max heard a familiar voice say.

"Harvey!" She cried.

"In the flesh" He said arrogantly flashing his Specter smile.

She handed him a cupcake and said, "on the house."

"Thanks! These are awesome by the way. What exactly are in these, crack?" Harvey asked jokingly remembering how Mike told him about their first conversation.

"I plead the 5th," she replied.

"One more word outta you, Ms. Black, and I'll _hold you in contempt_!" He said trying to sound stern.

"Now I know why you don't get laid, Harvey! You turn every occasion into a god damn courtroom session," Max teased.

"Objection bullshit! I'll have you know that I get laid plenty and I'm awesome in the sack," he bit on his cupcake smiling at her.

"Testifying!" She replied.

Max smirked wondering why a man like Harvey hadn't been married. He was a charmer capable of getting any woman he wanted. He was a master at the art of seduction. And although he wouldn't admit that he cared for anyone other than himself, Max saw right through him after what he did for Caroline. The great powerful Harvey Specter had a mushy center. He would make a great papa for a little Harvey or Harriett one day.

Harvey mushed the icing of his cupcake on Max's face and took another bite. 'Damn Harvey Specter! It wasn't possible to stay mad at someone looking like that,' she thought.

"Why exactly are you here Mr. Specter?" She finally asked.

"You!" He answered.

"Wesbox" Max called. Harvey looked behind him where Caroline was standing and greeted her.

"Couldn't close her, Harvs?" Caroline kidded.


	13. Chapter 13

**Epilogue**

"You little minx. You can't just do what you just did and walk away from me," Harvey said grabbing Max's right arm.

"Take the drama down a notch Harvs. I'm not going anywhere," She smirked.

"Damn right you aren't!" He pulled her back into the bed pinning her down so she couldn't move.

"Let me go! You big oaf! The cupcakes are done and I wouldn't want to burn your fancy schmancy apartment," she said hitting him playfully on the chest.

"Our fancy schmancy apartment," he corrected.

"Say Harvey is the best closer and I'll let you go!"

"Never!" Max shrieked as he tickled her before letting her go tend to the purple oven.

He loved her for who she was, including the crazy. Max was different from all the other girls he had been involved with in the past. They had their ups and downs. Hell! They had their issues, a lot of them in fact. They would fight about Harvey's pride, Max's independence, his ego, her stubbornness, and the list goes on, but never about wanting to change each other.


End file.
